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Social Action Report

Bear Hugs for Haiti

This project has sent over 1,200 letters and bears to orphanages in Uganda and Rwanda, survivors of Hurricane Katrina, and the survivors of the Tsunami in Southeast Asia. The project was recognized by the United Nations in 2005. We are re-launching this project for Haiti, and we hope to grow our numbers and reach as many children in need as we can. The cost of one bear is $7.00 (including transport to Haiti). The project is youth-to-youth, linking children heart-to-heart. At the bottom of this page is a PDF highlighting the history and goals for the future of this project. Click here for some history.

To help raise money to buy the Teddy Bears, members of the Vermont chapter came up with a brilliant idea: To sell Bear Hugs for $1!

Rotary Club

At the beginning of 2011, COE President, Nina Meyerhof, and a crew of COE volunteers from the Vermont Chapter, gave a well received presentation at the Rotary Club of Colchester-Milton, an organization of business and professional persons united worldwide to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world. The Club sponsors scholarships to students of Colchester and Milton, supports local youth activities and provides aid to regional and international humanitarian causes. In 166 countries worldwide, approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 30,000 Rotary clubs.

The presentation allowed the VT Chapter to brief the group on COE’s vision and the projects that we are currently working on. Additionally, we were able to connect with a group that shares similar values to us and a desire to donate and collaborate with our cause.

The presentation at the Rotary integrated us into a network of passionate and peaceful donors who take on causes that connect to their mission and values. As we continue to discover and connect with the various organizations around our community, we are simultaneously spreading awareness of COE’s goals while developing crucial relationships with those seeking collaborative partnerships.

International Day of Peace 2010

On September 17th, 2010 Children of the Earth and the Vermont Peace Academy brought together Vermont students to the United Nations for the Student Observance of the International Day of Peace. This was a unique opportunity for our students to travel to NYC and be inspired by the leaders of our world’s community.

Dare To Be Positive

At the University of Vermont 80 participants gathered in an intimate space where a friendly, enthusiastic and caring community was formed. The focus of this gathering was to build a community with a strong foundation, peaceful communication and that dared to be positive! The featured presenter Rite Marie Johnson, an American who moved to Costa Rica when she found out that they do not have a military, and started the Academy for Peace of Costa Rica. She led us through a meditation that focused our hearts and minds to understand that peace begins within ourselves. She demonstrated, using bio-feedback technology, that our heart controls our brain and therefore can help us communicate in a peaceful manner. The undivided attention of all the participants for the COE presentation as well as Rite, showed the amount of presence that enveloped all who were there. We ended the evening in a song that reminded us all of power of 'Higher Love'!